There Goes Sanity
by Miki-Spazz
Summary: Eliza just wanted a normal and happy life. She had a good job, lived in a nice neighborhood. Things were going great. And then it all blew up. Running for her life certainly wasn't on the agenda,but it definitely is now. Modern LOTR, so no canons. Sorry
1. Chapter 1

Soo, this is my first fanfic ever. Quite Literally. Now, this isn't some, "Modern Person falls into Middle Earth". It's more of a modernized version of LOTR, but not quite; so terribly sorry, but none of your favorite characters will be in it. I'll try to make some of the characters similar to their book inspirations, but some of them just wouldn't fit in.

Constructive reviews are greatly appreciated, will be heeded.

* * *

Eliza Stina never felt special.

Then again, no one ever does.

The first signs of trouble began at work, at closing time. There was always one person standing outside, just watching as she locked the doors. She tried to talk to them once, but when she got near they ran. She mentioned something to her manager, who shrugged it off and said she had probably spooked the guy off.

And then there was someone who started sitting in the coffee shop every day. He would sit there all day, ordering coffee and watching her. She couldn't say anything because he was a customer and he hadn't done anything yet. So she sucked it up and did her job.

But the worst was when she started seeing someone near her apartment building. They never went inside or anything, but they still gave her the creeps. You might be thinking she was just paranoid, but she had good reason to; she could've sworn they all had the same scar burned into their forearms, and it seemed familiar, like she had seen it somewhere before.

She was closing up like usual, when she saw the guy back, standing across the street. Taking a deep breath, she turned and stomped over to him, but he didn't run like before. On the contrary, he walked towards her, closing the distance between them quite rapidly. Stopping, they faced each other, and she pulled her jacket close to hold out the chill of the night.

"Um, hello?" she called out, not quite sure what to say. She hadn't been expecting to actually talk to the guy. He simply stood there, staring at her, until his eyes flicked to right over her shoulder. She had taken enough self-defense classes to know what that meant.

Whirling around, she threw out a punch in the hopes it would hit him, and began moving her feet to try and run away. She felt her fist connect with something, and heard a groan, so she bolted. Her first thought was to get home, but she remembered there was someone there too. Somewhere with people, somewhere with people, she thought over and over to herself.

There was supposed to be some sort of fair in the park, she thought, and headed in that direction. Her chest began to hurt, and every breath burned her throat, but she was too scared to stop or slow down.

She was also too scared to know which turn to take.

Skittering to a stop in a dead end, she turned and leaned against the wall to catch her breath. Maybe she'd be lucky and they wouldn't be able to find her anyways. Maybe she had left them in her dust, too fast to catch. Then she saw a silhouette at the end of the alley.

Maybe she was just really, really unlucky.

Falling into a stance she had learned, she held her fists up, and tried to look like she knew what she was doing. The silhouette multiplied at the end of the alley, and she swore under her breath. "Whoever the hell you are, just leave me alone!"

She tried to shout it, but her sore throat made it come out like a hoarse wheeze. The first one reached her, and she socked him in his nose. Just as the rest caught up to him, about ten in all, there seemed to be a commotion in the back of the group. The ones in the front turned to look, and she took advantage of the distraction. Kicking in knees and punching any face that turned to watch her, she eventually made it to the middle of the group where whoever had been attacking from behind had made it.

He was standing over the last one he had just kicked, and turned breathlessly towards her. She stepped back, ready to swing, when he asked "Are you Eliza?" Eyeing him warily, she nodded. "Good. I'm here to help you. Name's Aaron, now let's get out of here before more come."

Ignoring her fists, he grabbed her hand and dragged her behind him. He led the way to the park she had been aiming for earlier, and set her at a bench. He bought some hotdogs from a nearby food stand and handed it to her. She didn't eat it, and simply sat there as he pulled out a cell phone. "Randy? Yeah, I grabbed her in the knick of time; they were swarming her like locusts. We're at the park, come pick us up."

He flipped it shut, and was about to take a bite when he noticed her not eating. "Hey, you okay?" She glanced at him, and laughed weakly. "Okay? Do I look okay? What just happened, who were those guys, who are you!" Her voice began rising in mild hysteria, and he tried to calm her down. "I told you, I'm Aaron. But I need you to try and not panic, or we'll never get out of the park without attracting attention. As for those guys back there, no worries, I got you covered. Randy'll explain everything, he's better at it than me anyways."

He smiled at her before chomping a bite out of his hotdog. She looked at hers, and realized how hungry she was. They finished just as Aaron's pocket began to ring. "Randy's here. Let's go." He grabbed her hand again, and led her through the park to a waiting car. "How can I just get into a car with someone I don't even know?" she asked nervously, and he shrugged.

"You just gotta trust me, I guess."

She bit her lip, and turned to think. That's when she spotted someone just staring at her from across the park. Just like the guy at work. She looked over at Aaron, who held out his hand. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and took it. They slipped into the backseat of the car, and sped off into the night.

* * *

Eliza was led to a brightly lit high rise in down town. The driver of the car had been a greying man who didn't look too old, but was definitely older than Aaron. He didn't talk the entire way, so Eliza simply stared out the window for the trip. Aaron gave her a reassuring smile as she stared up at the imposing building, and took her inside.

Everything gleamed, and for a moment Eliza was temporarily blinded. It was a bright contrast to the dark night outside, but soon she could make out shapes until her vision cleared up completely. Aaron was waiting by an elevator door, and as she made her way over the door chimed and slid open. "Going up," he grinned, and pressed the button. The doors were clear, letting her watch as they soared up into the building.

The doors opened silently, allowing her entry to a simple but elegant study. The old man, who Eliza assumed was Randy, was sitting in the desk chair turned to look out the window. Aaron went over and leaned to whisper in his ear. Eliza hung back, twisting a lock of hair nervously. She glanced around, and noticed the wall hangings. They looked old, very old, and were in various colors and designs. One had a white tree, another a celtic looking horse. But she didn't get to finish looking at them, since Aaron was waving her over. The old man had swiveled around, and watched her approach. She stopped a few feet away, and locked eyes with him.

"Eliza, this is Randy, or rather, Randolph as he prefers."

He held out his hand for her to shake; she stared at it, and tentatively shook it. "Hi, uh, Randolph. Any explanations for me?" she asked. He steepled his fingers in front of him, and motioned for the chair in front of the desk. "Please, have a seat, Eliza. This may take a more than a moment." He looked over to Aaron, who nodded, so he took a breath.

"I know you want to know who we are, and who was chasing you, but why don't we start with who _you_ are." She raised an eyebrow, and creased her forehead with a questioning look. "I know who I am. I'm Eliza Stina, age 24, and I work at the corner Coffee Bean. What else do I need to know?" Randolph sighed, and replied, "You need to understand your family, and the past."

"Your family line has been around for millennia. You are the newest in a long line of blood, and it's that blood that makes you a target. You see, a long time ago, magic did exist. It was more subtle than what we imagine it to be today; there was no shooting fireballs from your hands, or stopping time with a word. It has actually survived to today, but only with the teachings of a few groups. Anyways, a long time ago there were wars over this magic, namely magic rings."

"You mean like Lord of the Rings?" she interrupted, causing Aaron to give her a wry grin.

Randolph also allowed himself a small grin, and continued with his story. "Well, yes and no. Tolkien was actually one of us, one who remembered the old ways. He wrote the books to serve as a guide, although he made it a bit more fantastical than what actually happened. Yes, there were fights everywhere, and almost the face of the world was changed. However, ideas like there being multiple races were a bit skewed. They were actually just different factions. Orcs weren't really disgusting creatures of death and filth, they were just on the dirtier side in the war. They did deeds that branded them as monsters, and that's what made them appear like that in the books."

Eliza sat there, not quite believing him, or rather, not wanting to believe. To believe would mean she would be dealing with something a lot worse than just some stalker or a gang. Although the thought of magic certainly intrigued her.

"One thing that was absolutely true though was the ring bearers. The magic rings enhanced certain abilities, and some eventually developed minds of their own. One developed while under use of one horrible ruler, who knew of the craft that made the rings magical, and added his own to his current ring. It became one of the more powerful, and also most influential. He would give it as a present to neighboring lords, and they would soon fall in line behind him, thus the Nazgul."

Eliza nodded, and then shook her head. "Okay okay, I get it. Lord of the Rings is real but not, magic is real but not, everything is real but it's not! What does this have to do with me?" Aaron looked at Randolph, who nodded back to him. "All right. I understand we don't have much time, normally you would need to understand the whole history, but I suppose I'll have to condense it."

Aaron snorted, and leaned against the desk. "You don't know how to condense, Randy. Allow me. See, Eliza, eventually it was discovered that there were people who could resist the influence of the rings. They were the decided to be the ring bearers. Unfortunately, it was later discovered that they didn't resist it, they simply took it in, and buried it. Meaning that they became vessels for the dark magic. Well, after a while, there were still some supporters of the dark ruler who believed they could fulfill his plans for the world if they possessed his power. So they began hunting out the ring bearers and their descendants."

Eliza paled as he finished. "Sooo, I have the magic power of some evil overlord contained within me, which some crazed underworld group wants to use to take over the world? Why don't you guys just get rid of it? You said you would help me!"

Aaron gave her a sad look. "We can't just get rid of it. There's a ritual to purge you of it, but we don't know it. Besides, the ritual . . . it kills the bearer."

She didn't think it was possible, but whatever color might have been left in her face drained instantly.


	2. Chapter 2

Yay! Chapter 2 is up! Kay, I was just kind of pulling names out of my butt. If you have any ideas that would make better names for the characters, I'd be more than glad to consider them. And on another note: I OWN NOTHING! Tolkein is the god of LOTR, although, I'm not sure how much I'm stealing for this story. Anyways, enjoy! =3

* * *

"So, uh, ehehe, um, now what?"

Eliza began nervously twisting her hair again, and Aaron looked over at Randolph. He thought for a moment before he spoke. "Well, the magic will be at its peak on the night of your 25th birthday, and after that it begins dwindling until it can no longer be obtained through the ritual anymore. So we'll keep you safe until then."

Eliza arched an eyebrow. "But my birthday isn't for like three more weeks. Isn't this a bit soon?" Aaron butted in before Randolph could answer her. "Have you ever been on a farm Eliza?" She nodded, wondering what on earth that could have to do with her situation.

"On a farm, the farmers have to choose when they want to harvest their crops. They can pick them early, not quite at the peak of season, but be the first ones on the market. Or they can wait, for that one day when the fruits and vegetables are at their best. But if they miss that day, then their crops instantly plummet in value. So the Shadow Ring wants to have you in their possession, ready to harvest any time before the peak date, but it they lose you until right after, they will gain almost nothing for their troubles. At that point, they will simply wait for the next generation."

She felt sick when he compared her to vegetable waiting to be harvested, but then something clicked. "So the magic is passed on from generation to generation? Then who did I get it from, my mom or dad?" Randolph sighed, "You got it from your mother, making you even more potent. A blood to blood exchange is very valuable, so they will hunt you with all their might and all their resources."

Eliza felt her eyes sting, and realized she was beginning to cry. "Well, that explains so much." Aaron gave her a confused look. "Explains what?" She wiped her eyes, and sniffled a little, but her voice didn't quaver. "My family had me young. I'm not sure if my mother knew what was going to happen, but we were constantly moving. I was about three or four when she was going to turn 25. My dad had taken me out for icecream, since my mom had wanted to be alone. When we got home, the house was destroyed. Everything was over turned and shredded. And on the door of my bedroom, was this eye burned into the wood. My mom was nowhere to be found."

Randolph nodded, and gave her a sympathetic look. "She must've known they were coming, and gave herself up to protect you. What they didn't understand was since she had a child, there was nothing to gain from her. Once they figured that out, they must have been furious. I'm sorry, but she's most likely dead." Eliza nodded while Aaron came around the desk sit in the chair next to her, and took her hand. "I know. I accepted that a long time ago."

Aaron looked from her to Randolph, and cleared his throat. "Are you willing to trust us now, and let us do what we need to do?" Eliza looked at her hand, and followed his arm up to his face. His smile just caught her off guard, and she felt a small smile creeping on her face too. "All right. I trust you guys." Randolph stood up quite abruptly, and pressed a small button on the keypad that was embedded on his desk.

"I'm afraid I will not be joining you, as I have too much of a presence here. Were I to disappear, our enemies would know we are on the move. I will constantly be in contact with Aaron, so no worries. However, I cannot let you leave completely unarmed. Please, take whatever you like from my own personal collection."

The nearest wall hanging had been rising, and as Randolph finished speaking, the panel hidden behind it turned around, revealing stacks of firearms and blades of all sizes. Aaron glanced it over, and scowled at Randolph. "You had all this and sent me out there with nothing? Thanks." Randolph shrugged, and gave him a sly look. "I knew you'd be just fine with such a small trip." While Aaron was trying to decide which curses best suited the moment, Eliza was busy looking over the collection. She slid her hand over the knives, thinking that one of these would be better for her more so than a gun. But she took a small handgun just to have it.

For some reason, being armed made her feel a whole lot better.

Aaron made his way over, and grabbed two of the bigger guns, sliding them into shoulder holsters he had hidden under his jacket. Winking at Eliza, he also grabbed a knife, and slid it into one of his boots. She hadn't even realized he was wearing boots, and he noticed her looking at them. "Combat boots. Good for kicking. Maybe we'll grab you a pair if we have a chance. They'll be better than your flimsy tennis shoes."

She wiggled her toes, and tried to imagine herself in boots. Pushing the thought to the back of her mind, she followed Aaron to the door, and waved back to Randolph. Waving, he called from across the room, "Good luck, I'll be talking to you again soon." The elevator doors closed, and the last she saw of Randolph was him sitting back down and turning to face the window.

* * *

Instead of going to the first floor that she had seen when they first got here, Aaron led her to the parking garage underneath the building. He went straight for the sleekest looking car in the garage. It was a matte black, and seemed to absorb the light that surrounded it. "Isn't that a bit, I don't know, conspicuous? It'll be hard to hide if we're driving that thing," Eliza asked, and Aaron grinned. "We won't need to hide with this thing. It's fast, and what we need is speed. We can hide when we get there."

Eliza rolled her eyes, and went over to the passenger side. "Whatever, Ricky Bobby, Do you even have the keys?" He jangled them before unlocking the doors. "Of course. Why wouldn't I have the keys?" She climbed in, and set her bag in the back seat. "Anyways, where are we going? A safe house or something?" He shook his head, and started the ignition. "We're going to find some friends. Gregory and Langston, they're supposed to be masters of combat. They'll be helpful to have around, to say the least. And there's another, Boris, but I'm not sure how to find him."

And then he punched the accelerator.

She barely had time to put her seatbelt on before they shot out of the garage. Squealing around a corner, they made it to the highway without any problems. Soon, they were cruising down a country road, the only car for miles, going almost twice the speed limit. Aaron glanced over at her, and noticed she was beginning to nod off. "Hey, get some sleep. We'll be there in a couple hours; you've had one heck of a night."

"Okay," she murmured, already dozing off.


	3. Chapter 3

A thousand apologies for the delay! I was at a loss for how to actually progress certain parts, and then I went swimming for inspiration. All I got for it was a horrible sunburn. P= So read, enoy, and please bear with the crapiness. I promise to make it better someday, when I'm not feeling so retarded.

* * *

Eliza jerked awake when the car stopped.

Aaron was outside, and she realized they had stopped for gas. Her clothes were sticking to her from a cold sweat, and she was shaking. Pulling down the sunshield mirror, she saw just how pale she was. She didn't feel sick, but she certainly looked like she was.

Aaron was occupied at the moment, so she peeled off her jacket, and wiped her face off. No need to worry him over something as little as this. Probably just a nightmare.

She got out of the car, and shivered as the night air tingled her skin. Aaron looked over, and smiled at her.

"Morning, sunshine. Dawn's in about an hour, and we should get to where we're going a little after then." She smiled weakly back, and glanced around.

"Aren't you afraid of being followed at all?"

He shook his head, looking affronted.

"You don't trust my driving skills? Of course we aren't being followed. They're more city people. We're in the middle of nowhere. So no worries."

She nodded, and leaned against the car. The cool air cleared her mind, and she took a deep breath. It smelled like grass, as if they were surrounded by farms.

The pump clicked, and Aaron climbed back in the car. Eliza followed suit, and clicked the seatbelt.

"Ready? All right, let's go."

The car lurched forward, zooming back onto the highway. She honestly thought he had some sort of problem, there was no need to drive this recklessly. But she didn't say anything, and settled down for the trip.

It wasn't long, like he had said, before the sun broke over the horizon, and they began seeing traces of human life again. A half hour later, they were finally in the city. Staring out the window, she thought this looked exactly the city back home.

Turning to Aaron, she asked "Where exactly are we going? And what are we looking for?" He peered out the windshield, seemingly disappointed by the appearance of traffic.

"Well, Gregory is supposedly a fighter in the underground, so he might be a smidge difficult to find. I do know where to start though, so it shouldn't be too terrible."

Eliza gave him a startled look when he said this. "Underground? Are you even sure he's trustworthy?" Aaron was about to reply when his phone began ringing.

"One sec," he told her, and flipped it open.

"Randy?" he asked, sounding surprised.

"You're what? How the hell did you manage that? Oh. Okay, well, can you at least give me some directions then? Hey, it would only take you a minute, but we'd be driving for hours before we could find it. Fine, fine. You're so uptight. Directions? –grumble- please. . . . Thank you."

_Click._

Eliza quirked an eyebrow as Aaron tossed the phone down again. "Problems?" she asked. He glanced over at her, and then rolled his eyes.

"Oh nothing. Randy's just been tracking us using my cell phone. And then he wouldn't give me directions. Unless we made a deal. So now I have to call him Randolph. But only when I'm talking to him." His grin became mischievous.

Eliza nodded. "So, we do have directions? Okay, what about what I asked earlier?"

Aaron shrugged. "Well, Randy trusts him, and that's good enough for me." They fell silent, listening to the hum of the engine. Without warning, Aaron pulled into a parking complex, and cut the ignition.

"Aaron?" Eliza asked him nervously, but he shushed her. "Randy told me that Gregory is supposed to meet us here, but we're going to let him come to us. Seeing as you're so jumpy and all," he whispered, scanning the garage.

"Am not," Eliza scowled, joining him in searching. "What does he look like?" she asked suddenly, and Aaron thought for a moment, a confused look crossing his face. "I don't really know. I know he's small, and can't resist expensive cars, so my guess is he's not going to have any trouble finding us."

At that moment an older, squat, bulbous man waddled into the garage, and Eliza held her breath. Aaron followed him, but he walked right past their car. The old man didn't even look at them. Eliza gave Aaron a dubious look.

"I don't think that was him."

Aaron was about to give a snarky reply when they heard someone tapping on the window. He turned sharply, and was staring at a little boy. The boy grinned, and waved.

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

"Are you Aaron?" he asked, his voice dimmed by the pane of glass between them. Aaron nodded slowly, and rolled the window down. "Are you. . . you can't be, are you Gregory?" The boy frowned at this.

"Why of course I'm Greg. Who were you expecting?"

Aaron gaped for a moment, before grinning and holding out his hand to shake. "Well, Greg, hop on in. This here's Eliza, she's our quarry." Greg nodded eagerly, and leaped into the back seat.

"What! He's a little kid, we can't put him in danger. Where are your parents?" she turned at the end to face Greg in the back. He was pouting at her. "I'll have you know, I'm 14. The little kid thing is just an act. And my parents know exactly what I'm getting into."

Aaron kicked the car into gear, and pulled out of the garage. Eliza kept talking to Gregory. "So, what do you do? I mean, you're so young. You can't even drive yet." Greg stuck his tongue out at her.

"I can do lots. I'm sure Randy told you about me." Eliza shook her head, and his face fell. "Oh, well, I can fight. Really good at it. And I can pick locks. And do recon. I blend in anywhere."

Eliza nodded her head. "Really? Well, then, glad to have you." She faced forward again, and looked over at Aaron. "Now where to? Don't we have to find that Langston guy?" He nodded, and pulled onto the highway.

"This trip won't be nearly as long. From what I gathered, it's just the next city over. We'll be there soon."

* * *

"_Honey?"_

_The voice echoed throughout the house. _

"_Mommy?"_

_Her voice sounded weak and timid, as though the sound was being devoured by the darkness that surrounded her. Her hand was enveloped by her father's strong hand, but it was suddenly gone._

"_Daddy?" she called tearfully, trembling at his sudden disappearance. She stepped around the debris on the floor, making her way through the house. Everything seemed so much bigger than she remembered._

_Her parents' room was empty, and her room was at the end of the hallway. The door was swinging on its hinge, and it looked like there was something in her room._

"_Hello?"_

_The door was slammed shut, and the eye that had been burned into it was still glowing. Shaking like a leaf, she reached for the doorknob, feeling the eye following her. As her fingers brushed the cold metal, the door swung open and something reached out for her._

_She screamed._

"What the hell? Eliza- dammit- Eliza, wake up!"

The car swerved to the shoulder, and Gregory was frantically shaking her as she thrashed about. Finally Aaron climbed out and ran around to the other side of the car. Ripping the door open, he unbuckled her and dragged her out.

"Eliza, listen to me! Wake up! Eliza!"

She flailed, trying to get out of his grip. Greg had gotten out to try and help, but she kicked him and he staggered back, blood dripping from his lip. By now she was half awake, and Aaron whirled her around to face him.

"Eliza, jeez, will you wake up!"

Her eyes snapped open, and she fell trembling into his chest. He put his hand on her head, and realized it was damp. Gregory spat out a gob of blood, and snuck up to them. "Does she do this often?

Aaron shook his head, and pulled Eliza up. "Eliza, shh, Eliza, no, just look at me." She faced him, but her eyes kept darting around. "It was a nightmare, wasn't it?" She swallowed and nodded, looking like she was ready to bolt.

"Relax, it's okay. It was just a dream. There's nothing to be afraid of. Me and Greg here will make sure of that."

She started to calm down. Her breathing smoothed, and soon she began to stop shaking. Even though she was still pale, she certainly looked a lot better. Aaron noticed this, and started leading her to the car.

"If you'd like, we can keep you awake for the rest of the trip. It's not long, but you fell asleep rather quickly last time. Would you like that?"

She nodded again, and allowed herself to be set in the car. Aaron shut the door, and grabbed Greg's arm and pulled him to behind the car. "Randy said this might happen. We have to keep her awake until we find this Langston fellow. He'll be able to help."

Greg nodded, and went back around the car to sit behind her. Aaron stood there for a minute, rubbing the bridge of his nose, before getting back in the car and peeling off the shoulder and back into the flow of traffic.

They got into the city after about another hour. Greg pinched Eliza whenever she seemed to be nodding off, and tried to keep her attention by making conversation with her. Aaron simply kept his eyes on the road, waiting for the inevitable call from Randy.

_Ring Ring._

And there it was.

He answered it, and got the directions. He glanced over at Eliza, but decided to keep quiet for now. If they continued, then Randy should know. It might've just been lack of sleep and shock that caused it.

Then he remembered the trouble they had with Greg, and asked, "What does he look like? We picked Greg up, it would've been helpful to know what he looked like before we met him." He could hear Randy sigh on the other end of the line.

"Langston is. . . . very pretty."

_Click._

Aaron grumbled at the phone, and threw it back into the cup holder. But at least they had better directions on how to find him. He worked in a pretty big company, near the top. And they finally knew where exactly to find his building.

Pulling up in front, it looked a lot like the building that Randy worked from. He helped Eliza in, who was looking like a ghoul. She had bags under her eyes, and Aaron wasn't feeling much better himself. He let Greg do most of the talking.

"Um, Miss? Where might we find Langston?"

The secretary smiled at Greg, who worked up the kid charm. "Oh, 24th floor. You need a key, but I was told to expect you. Here you go." "Thanks, miss." He beamed at her as she handed him the elevator key, causing her to coo over him as Aaron and Eliza made their way towards the doors.

When he met up with them, he was looking disgusted. "I hate girls," he grumbled as he opened the door, causing Aaron to grin as he helped Eliza in. Greg put the key in the slot and it revealed a hidden panel of buttons.

He pushed the button with 24 emblazoned on it. Eliza nearly fell when the elevator started up, but held onto the railing. The doors chimed, and slid open. Greg stepped out, holding the doors as Aaron and Eliza shuffled out.

"Langston? Sir?"

Greg glanced around, trying to locate him. That's when they heard the snicker.

"I'm Langston, but I'm not entirely sure 'Sir' is the appropriate title."

A blonde woman was making her way down a staircase in the back of the office. Her heels clicked along the tile once she made it to the floor. She approached Aaron with her hand held out. "Leslie Langston, at your service."

Aaron gaped a little, and Greg fixed the problem by kicking him in the shin. "Ow- I mean, pleased to meet you. We were expecting, well, we were expecting-"

"-A man. I know. Most people do. Not to worry though. I can assure you, I am the best shot you could possibly know. Not to mention I've tried my hand at a few tricks with magic. Nothing spectacular, but useful, I assure you."

"Well then, let's talk business." Aaron set Eliza down gently on a lounge near the front of the office, and Langston looked at her with concern. "Are you all right, my dear? You look like you' haven't slept for days."

"That's kinda true, actually. A couple hours, to get her through the past couple days," Aaron said, and Langston cocked an eyebrow at him. "It was the nightmares, wasn't it?" He nodded, and Eliza looked at her confused.

"How did you know?"

"I know a few things. Like how to help." She knelt down next to Eliza, and held her head gently. "Just close your eyes, and relax." Eliza did so, and heard what sounded like Langston whispering, but didn't listen for long as she fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

Langston set her gently down, and covered her with her suit jacket. "Now boys, if you'd please, I have some things to discuss with you."


	4. Chapter 4

I am soooooooooooooooo sorry for making you wait this long for the next chapter. My brain decided to finally kick into summer vacation mode, and abandoned ship on the last lifeboat, leaving me to drown. This didn't really go anywhere till the very last scene, but it was sort of fun writing all their interactions with each other. I hope this illustrates them a little more, and I can't wait to start throwing magic into the mix.

Review please! Digi-cookies for everyone!

* * *

Waking up was the last thing Eliza wanted to do.

She finally felt rested, and so warm and comfortable, she was reluctant to open her eyes. But she knew she had to, so she opened them one by one, trying to relish in what were sure to be the last minutes of peace she was going to have for the next few weeks.

Ready to face the day, she swung her legs out and pulled the jacket around to rest on her shoulders. Getting up on her feet, she glanced around, trying to figure out where to go. Remembering how Langston had come down the stairs in the back, she headed for those first.

The stairs spiraled upward into the ceiling, so she couldn't see where they led to. The banister slid under her hand as she wound her way up to the next floor. Her head was the first thing to clear the floor, and then she stepped out into what seemed to be an enormous library.

"Hello?"

Her voice echoed, giving her chills by reminding her of her nightmare from before. Taking a deep breath, she continued her trek through the shelves, looking for anybody. Reaching the back, she turned and sighed, not seeing even a trace of someone ever passing through. Heading back, she was stopped by a grinding sound that came from behind her.

Turning apprehensively, she was treated to the bright sight of Gregory's grin. "Ah, so you are awake. Well, come on in, we're getting ready to head out again." Eliza smiled back and followed him into the secret room hidden behind a shelf of books.

Aaron was asleep on another couch, and Langston had changed into more durable clothing that was less noticeable. She was currently shoving books into a bag, slung over her shoulder. When she reached for one on a higher shelf, Eliza got a glimpse of a gun tucked into her pants.

"Over here."

Greg beckoned her over to a table, and was treated to the sight of a huge table sized map. There were little pieces of metal that looked like figurines strewn across it, and lines in varying colors that linked them all together. Looking it over, she traced a line that attached a group of figurines together and wound its way across the whole map.

"That's us, and the trip we're going to take. First we're going to check in with this guy, who has some intel that could prove useful, and this here's a safe house we can refresh in, reload and everything, before continuing."

Langston had appeared next to Greg as he was explaining the map, and Eliza tried to keep up with everything he was saying.

"Why does it fork every now and then? Are we going to split up?" she asked nervously, and Langston shook her head.

"No, these are alternate routes we can take depending on what events transpire during our expedition. Luck favors those who are well prepared, after all."

Aaron snorted in his sleep, and Gregory tossed a marker at him. He started awake, and rolled his eyes in Gregory's direction. Grumbling, he stood up and stretched, before picking up the marker. Grinning at Greg, he popped the cap off.

Then he threw it back.

Trying to dodge it, Greg accidently knocked into the table. He didn't move fast enough, which got him a bright streak of blue across his forehead. Eliza giggled, and Langston tapped her foot impatiently, but allowed herself a small smile.

"Aaron, you butthole," Greg whined, trying to wipe it off. All he succeeded in was smudging whatever ink was still wet across more of his forehead. Langston merely picked the marker up and held her hand out for Aaron to give back the cap. He reluctantly handed it over.

Once it was in her hand, Langston swiped the marker across his cheek.

She capped the marker as she smirked at Aaron's face, and set it back on the table. Greg cracked up, and Eliza couldn't help but join in. Langston turned to Eliza, and handed her a thick jacket.

"We're heading to the mountains, so you might want to dress a little warmer. There's a closet over there, if you'd like to grab a few things."

Eliza nodded while wiping her eyes, and headed for the closet that had been pointed out. She grabbed a scarf, a warm looking hat, and two pairs of gloves, just in case. Grinning when she spied her bag anging on a hook, she packed everything into it and slung it on her back.

Leaving the closet, she looked over her new companions. Aaron looked as refreshed as she felt, Greg was lounging in a chair and fiddling with the figures on the map, and Langston was leaning against a bookshelf, immersed in one of her many books she had in her bag. She cleared her throat, and they all looked up at her.

"Shall we get going?"

A few minutes later, they were down at street level, waiting for Langston to show up. She had said that she had her own ride, and would be along shortly. Aaron had fired up the car, and they had packed whatever bags they had in it.

He was getting impatient, and about to call her up when a motorcycle pulled up next to them. The rider had a tinted helmet on, and they almost ignored it until the rider tapped on the window. Sliding their visor up, they saw it was Langston; they should've known, with her blonde hair pouring out of the back of the helmet and her bag tied to the back of the bike.

"I'll be in front the whole way, so try to keep up."

"Yeah yeah, whatever, crotch rocket. I'll try not to run you over."

Langston rolled her eyes before snapping the visor down and gunning the throttle. The wheels squealed as she zipped out, followed closely by Aaron as he jammed the accelerator to the floor board. It wasn't long before they were out of the city once again.

Langston would occasionally zoom ahead out of sight before falling back again. There was no trouble on the road, which was to be expected this late at night. Eliza decided to let Aaron focus on his race with Langston, and turned to face Greg in the back seat.

"So, what do you know about Langston?"

He tapped his chin for a moment, thinking about it. "Not much, except she's supposedly the protégé of a certain someone, and can make you bleed your brains out your eyeballs if you piss her off."

Eliza grinned at Aaron. "You hear that? Better stay on her good side."

Aaron grumbled under his breath, and Greg chuckled at him. Eliza and Greg continued their conversation and teasing of Aaron for most of the trip. The next time they glanced out the windows, they were surrounded by pine trees, and it felt like they were heading uphill.

"Are we finally in the mountains? I thought we were miles away."

Greg was plastered to the window, and Aaron smirked at him. "Well, when you go as fast as we do, miles fly by. Hey, never seen a forest before, kid?" Greg glared and replied angrily, "Yes I have! Well, maybe only in pictures. I mean, oh shut up! So I'm a city boy, whatever."

_Ring._

Aaron picked it up with a huff. "What now, Rand- Langston? How are you talking, aren't you on a bike? Oh, cool, well, we're getting near, right? Kay. See you in a few minutes." He hung up, and glanced over at Eliza and Greg, who were looking at him expectantly.

"You might want to bundle up. It'll be pretty cold when we stop."

They both nodded, and started pulling out their warmer clothes. By the time they stopped, they were almost done. Waiting while Aaron got himself ready, they peered out the dark window. There was a faint light that looked like it was deep in the trees.

"Come on, I'll get out first. You might want to hurry, it's colder than the moon out there."

He swung open the door, and a sharp biting wind swirled into the car. Even with their scarves and gloves, they all couldn't help but shiver at the sudden cold. Aaron shut the door and shuffled around to the other side of the car. Pulling open the doors, Eliza and Greg hopped out with the bags following Aaron towards the light.

Eliza mulled over the dark humor of this thought, but before she could follow this train of thought far, they finally reached it. It wasn't far, just small. She hadn't even noticed that they had passed Langston's bike, but she was already walking inside the door before she could look back.

"About time. I was getting ready to get out there and go looking for you."

Langston was sitting on a couch near a fireplace, with her usual book in hand. Aaron merely snorted and peeled his coat off, before tossing it on the rack near the door.

"Oh please, you couldn't have been here more than a minute."

Eliza and Greg glanced at one another, and rolled their eyes while sharing a knowing grin. They dumped their bags near the door and followed Aaron's example by hanging their coats up. The cabin was warmed by the fire, but there was still a bit of a chill, so Eliza kept her gloves and hat on.

"So, how long are we going to be here?" she asked Langston, figuring she knew more than Aaron did.

"Well, we'll be here for as long as it takes our contact to reach us. It could be a few minutes or even a day or two. We'll see."

Greg quickly got bored, and went exploring in the rest of the cabin. Aaron had flopped on another couch and had started snoring, while Langston was buried in her book occasionally throwing dirty looks at him, so Eliza decided to follow Greg deeper into the cabin.

It looked pretty cozy, everything was wood, but had been sanded and smoothed. There were doors leading off to various rooms scattered down the hallway. Poking her head into a few of them, she was relieved to find a bathroom. Making a mental note to take a shower at the first chance she got, she finished her tour. She avoided the door at the end of the hallway, shuddering when she thought of opening it.

Finally making her way back to the living room, she quickly grabbed her bag and headed for the bathroom. She saw Greg heading for it from the other end of the hallway, and broke into a run. Laughing, she made it first and slammed the door on him.

"I got dibs on first shower!" she cackled, and she could hear Greg grumbling outside.

Hopping in, she just rinsed down, and tried to not use all the hot water. Finding towels under the counter, she left the bathroom and Greg had slipped in before steam had even billowed out. She had wrapped her head into a towel, and was heading for the living room once more.

Aaron was still asleep, and Langston was buried into her book. Eliza flopped on the couch next to Langston, who tucked away the book once she landed.

"So, how are you feeling? I am quite certain this whole experience can be disconcerting at the least."

Eliza looked at her questioningly, and was surprised to see her smiling. She seemed so cold and uncaring usually, unless she was just that way towards Aaron.

"Oh, well, I'm not sure if I've come to terms with everything, or if I'm just in an extended state of shock. It seems more like a dream than anything else, although if it were a dream, I'm sure I'd be able to do magic by now."

Langston gave her a sly look.

"Would you like to learn?"

Eliza stared at her hands in her lap, unsure of what to say. She would love to learn, but what if learning brought what was lurking inside even closer to the surface?

"Maybe. Could you at least teach me that sleeping trick? It was nice to sleep good again."

Langston reached into her bag, and pulled out a small book. Handing it to Eliza, she said, "Okay. Read this first, though. It will explain how it works, and what you need to understand. What I did was a more intricate spell than I think you could learn right away. We will start with simple things, but don't worry. You strike me as a very magical predisposed person."

Eliza took the book, and had just cracked open the covers when Langston's own book started glowing. It wasn't noticeable at first, but it had a faint golden tinge to it. She picked it up and flipped to the center, where the light seemed to originate from.

Greg came in from his shower, and saw the book. He threw his towel on Aaron, who jerked awake and was about to grumble at Greg when he too saw the book. Eliza raised an eyebrow at Langston.

"You're book is glowing."

"It's our contact. He has a book similar to my own. We can write messages back and forth to each other with it. He says that he'll be here in a day, and to be wary of imposters."

Aaron clapped his hands. "All right then. Let's go to bed. I'm tired, and I don't trust you all while I'm asleep and you aren't. Langston?"

She was clutching the book, and she gave Aaron a worried look. Her mouth moved, like she was whispering, but they couldn't hear. She cleared her throat, and Aaron paled when she told him.

"Randolph is missing."

* * *

Bum bum BUMMMMMMMMMM! Oh noes. I can't wait to start Eliza's magic training! =3


End file.
